Hattori is factory setup ...
Interesting statement considering I have seen recent pictures of people with him in knife shows and purchasing knives from him. Doesn't say for sure that he made them but is sure looks like he's alive and still involved in knife making.Is
OG smith is either dead or long retired...hence the KD unobtainium/hype pricing
According to japanesechefknives.com he is very much alive and not retired at all :
https://japanesechefsknife.com/collections/hattori
He just celebrated his 80th birthday by milking this kd line, 5000 usd a pop...not to mention the miriade of hunting knives he just released on various sites with simillarly obscene prices.
Oh and smith being retired or dead does not mean knives have to be more expensive. I mean keijiro doi was said to be the best single bevel knife maker of his time and he is gone (R.i.p.) and his knives don't even come close to 1500$.
One last thing...looking at this kd factory line and at takamura hana i see no difference other than the better handle on hana and the +4500usd for the kd.
But what do i know...i'm no collector.
According to japanesechefknives.com he is very much alive and not retired at all :
https://japanesechefsknife.com/collections/hattori
He just celebrated his 80th birthday by milking this kd line, 5000 usd a pop...not to mention the miriade of hunting knives he just released on various sites with simillarly obscene prices.
Oh and smith being retired or dead does not mean knives have to be more expensive. I mean keijiro doi was said to be the best single bevel knife maker of his time and he is gone (R.i.p.) and his knives don't even come close to 1500$.
One last thing...looking at this kd factory line and at takamura hana i see no difference other than the better handle on hana and the +4500usd for the kd.
But what do i know...i'm no collector.
KD and Hanna/Uchigumo look quite different in many aspects including the pattern, different steels, different handles, even profiles and grinds look different. FWIW, I find the Takamura Uchigumo more appealing, but that's not what price of collectible pieces is about, and definitely personal taste comes into play.
Also, the prices of the KD at JCK were closer to 2K for a 240 gyuto IIRC.
Interesting statement considering I have seen recent pictures of people with him in knife shows and purchasing knives from him. Doesn't say for sure that he made them but is sure looks like he's alive and still involved in knife making.
Not to long ago the Hattori KD was considered the paragon of high end kitchen cutlery. The smith (Mr. Ichiro Hattori) is very well respected and in his 70s. He rarely makes knives these days and spends most of his efforts teaching his knife making and techniques to young craftsmen. The steel itself was one of the many "super steels", the fact it is also no longer in production adds to it allure. Its a simple case of supply and demand
The other part of the rarity, is that few people will part with one of these as they know that they are un-replaceable, pretty much at any cost. So no one is willing to sell....
KD line was out of production for over a decade and the steel IIRC was likewise unobtainable. To wit...
So if there is NOS or a "new batch" maybe try shedding some light on the facts about the new batch...
Original comment was new KD was a factory knife, not made by the old man...IS this true?
Also, are thew new ones the same steel/damascus and where did it come from?
If those aren't true, then are the new ones really the same thing and worth the same or more money?
These are just basic questions, nothing specific to me or my views on this...
just things would expect people to answer.
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